Forestry

Forests are critical for sustainable development providing a wealth of goods and services that are essential for a greener economy. Forest certification is crucial in providing evidence of sustainable forest management.

PEFC expands forest certification globally through its unique bottom-up approach to certification and is the certification system of choice for family and community-owned forests. The UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) is the national forest certification standard for the UK.

Chain of Custody & Logo Use

Chain of Custody is the process of handling information on the origin of forest-based products.

This allows organisations to make accurate and verifiable claims on the content of sustainably certified material and proves that each step of the supply chain from the forest to the end user has been monitored closely through independent auditing.

The PEFC logo and label on a product communicates to customers that the wood or fibre has been responsibly sourced.

News & Media

Keep up to date with the latest activity of PEFC via our regular news updates and newsletters. You can also access a huge range of publications and case studies dedicated to showing how PEFC–certified products can add value to you and your organisation.

You can also find out where to come and meet PEFC in person at various trade shows and events across the UK and internationally.

PEFC GLOBAL STATISTICS

Procurement Professionals & Public Sector

Corporate and public sector procurement policies are increasingly seeking to ensure that timber and virgin fibre originates from legal and sustainable sources.

One of the simplest and straightforward ways to demonstrate that the virgin fibre comes from responsibly managed forests, is to source from those that have been independently certified against a credible forest management certification scheme such as PEFC.

Demand for sustainably produced goods is growing across the globe. With climate change and environmental concerns ever-present, everyone is wanting assurances regarding the provenance of the products they buy and their environmental credentials.

Consumers are now far better informed and knowledgeable about their purchasing decisions and how they affect the environment.Companies are also increasingly keen to demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing of paper and packaging products by developing responsible paper procurement policies which recognise both recycled and certified virgin fibre.

Corporate social responsibility reporting is now an everyday management process while financial institutions are recognising that shareholder value is protected through greener procurement policies.

Central and Local government increasingly realise that sustainability and corporate social responsibility in procurement is a key responsibility and an important element in forward-looking policies and activities. It is an integral part of the role of the public sector to contribute to the aspirations of their constituency and to meet their needs within the limits of our planet.

Estimates suggest that public sector accounts for up to 30% of all timber imports. Public sector procurement therefore has a highly influential role to play in incentivising changes in forest management around the globe.

The mix of purchasing power and leadership that drives the sustainable production of goods means that local government and public institutions can send the right signals to the marketplace and positively influence private sector behaviour and private procurement decisions. The direct and indirect impacts of sustainable procurement decisions by the public sector cannot be overestimated.

The public sector is well positioned to behave as a role model and set an example for sustainable behaviour and thereby substantially impact the conduct of the private sector and consumers.

• PEFC-certified timber is approved by the UK Government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) procurement policy for wood-based products as well as the EU model purchasing policy for wood-based products

• PEFC-certified timber helps meet SAP targets and PassivHaus performance levels and certified joinery products including doors, windows and insulated panels will play a major part in the UK Government’s Green Deal retrofit programme

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system Alternative Compliance Path (ACP) rewards building projects that use: "wood products from certified sources as defined by ASTM D7612-10". This includes internationally recognised voluntary forest certification standards such as PEFC's. The ACP applies to all LEED v4 rating systems including Homes v4 asnd to all LEED 2009 ratings.

• PEFC-certified timber is a central component of the Ska environmental performance standard. This tool measures fit-out projects in the context of raised sustainability concerns across the corporate agenda and consists of 104 individual ‘good-practice’ measures including certified timber, energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions